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No surprise that this is by Fatsis, he's one of my favorite sports journalists. I'm disappointed in Wambach and Harper for not realizing that they got concussed and that they should step back until they're feeling right again, but more disappointed in their organizations which should really be the ones calling the shots and protecting their players.

As someone who's been concussed many times ... you don't fully realize what's going on with your brain, it's unrealistic to think that you can judge yourself. You're dependent on others to assess that for you - and they may be (wrongly) inclined to trust your judgment.

As someone who's been concussed many times ... you don't fully realize what's going on with your brain, it's unrealistic to think that you can judge yourself.

I've mentioned before that mrsidiom had a stroke several years back. The same thing described above applied to her. Initially she simply didn't recognize that her brain was failing to send signals to her left arm. The first warning sign was that she had been home trying to assemble some toy train track, and simply couldn't do it. She couldn't tell why she couldn't; she just couldn't. Despite that she started feeling very tired and confused - or maybe because of it - she could only conclude there must be something wrong with the track.

Self-diagnosis of a brain injury is very hard to do. The very thing you rely on for the diagnosis is impaired, and thus less capable to make the diagnosis. And it's less capable on two fronts. First, the injury itself makes that particular cognitive function difficult. Second, total cognitive function is also limited, and given how many cognitive operations are absolutely necessary (involuntary functions like breathing, heart regulation, basic sensory operation) that leaves very little functional capacity for "optional" activity, like diagnosing the injury. Or walking. Or eyesight. Denial of a problem, or even failing to assess whether there is a problem, is a way the brain manages the overflow of work to be done when a serious brain injury exists.

Whether we have to go all nanny-state in such a situation, I don't know, but silence or even deference is not an option for observers.

I may have mentioned here before that my father died from a brain injury. He fell hard, and then got up and walked around and sat through a church service, and only then decided it might be prudent to go to the hospital. He got there, was talking to people, eating a little, and then keeled over dead. It may never have been possible to save him, but in situations like major sporting events where there are trainers everywhere and ambulances at the ready, the protocol should be to immobilize somebody who's hit their head, and get them to an ER. Why not be safest? And as idiom says, don't leave the choice up to them.

Agreed on the podcast. They've discussed concussions at great length on the show, but the handling of the Wambach incident was the first one that really made my stomach churn.

You'd think MLB would want to be out in front of the concussion issue after the negative publicity (and lawsuits) the NFL has taken, and the fact with a longer season its perhaps easier for a MLB player to sit out 7 games than it is for an NFL player to even miss a half of football. Oh and Ryan Freel's death, I hope we haven't already forgotten that.

Yeah, Hang Up and Listen is one of my favorite podcasts, they're really good. Word Freak was how I learned about Fatsis, it was an excellent book.

Self diagnosis of concussions are a bad idea, I've been concussed a few times from playing sports, and each time I didn't stop playing because I felt like I'd gotten my bell rung and I'd be fine once the stars receded.

Pretty much have. Most of that was sports (where I'd make up for lack of tools and skill with scrapiness), with a handful of fights (that I'd never start and rarely win) and a rear-ending of my girlfriend's auto mixed in. With that last bit, I hit my head hard on the steering wheel and kept on driving in a daze, got home, passed out. Took a few days for me to put two and two together - seeing the back of the car helped. And, again, not my car. :(
Funniest one was playing basketball (elbow to the head) where I kept swearing that I was okay just give me one second and let me take a five minute nap at half-court and then I'll be cool, totally cool. I managed to talk people out of taking me to the hospital, but I wasn't right for a few days.
I strongly suspect that my mental capacities are not what they once were (particularly wrt memory - note: I'm not yet 40), but - if true - there could be other causes as well.